In his second UFC event at UFC 41 on February 2nd, 2003 Tim would face off against current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Ricco Rodriguez. Rodriguez would try to bring Sylvia down to the mat to try for a submission, but Sylvia refused to get off his feet. Rodriguez was forced to continue the brawl standing up, and Sylvia simply outmatched him in that regard. The victory would also win Sylvia the Heavyweight belt. During UFC 44, Sylvia would successfully defend his title against Gan McGee. Though McGee actual had 2 inches more height than the already massive Sylvia, Tim would rock his world with devastating punches, bringing the giant down in the first round.
?That one went to the ground because I rocked him and he didn?t know where he was. I dropped him with straight right and jumped on top of him and capitalized. If I see a guy hurt, I smell the blood, and I move in for the finish,? said Sylvia when asked about the fight.
But despite this spectacular defense, Sylvia would soon find the belt stripped from him without even having to lose a fight. Testing positive for steroids the Heavyweight title was taken away and he was suspended from the UFC for four months. But this punishment was nothing compared to the one that awaited him at his next UFC match-up. At UFC 48, in an attempt to regain his title, Sylvia would experience one of the most disturbing sports injuries ever caught on film first-hand. In his fight with
Frank Mir, Sylvia would find himself at the mercy of Mir when he became trapped in an armbar. But due to Sylvia?s positioning, Mir couldn?t execute the submission properly. Sylvia would attempt to standup to get more leverage, only allowing Mir to complete the submission. Refusing to tap out, Sylvia remained in the hold until the applied pressure that Mir was putting down on the arm snapped it about three inches below the elbow. The fight was stopped and after examining his arm the doctor convinced the judges that the fight could not continue due to Sylvia?s health. Tim Sylvia rejected the claim that his arm was broken, even taking the time to wave it in front of the crowd and demanded that the fight restart. Denied a chance to prove it, Sylvia was taken to the hospital where an x-ray confirmed that his arm was indeed broken. Sylvia would have to take a few months off to recuperate
